Joe Lis
Joseph Anthony Lis, was an American professional baseball first baseman, who played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, and Seattle Mariners. He also played one season for the Kintetsu Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball, in. During his playing days, Lis stood 6 feet tall, weighing ; he batted and threw right-handed.
Born in Somerville, New Jersey and raised in nearby Manville, he moved with his family to Hillsborough Township as a pre-teen and attended Somerville High School, where he played both basketball and baseball.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 1964 by the Philadelphia Phillies out of high school, when he was 17.
Lis entered the majors in 1970 with the Philadelphia Phillies, playing for them three years before joining the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, and Seattle Mariners. He had been traded along with Ken Sanders and Ken Reynolds by the Phillies to the Twins for César Tovar on December 1, 1972. While relegated to playing mainly first base as a big leaguer, he also played left field, right field, third base, and even caught in one game.
A good power hitter in Minor League Baseball, Lis swatted at least 33 home runs in three separate MiLB seasons and was named International League Most Valuable Player, in 1976, an award he shared with fellow infielders Mickey Klutts and Rich Dauer. Nevertheless, Lis never translated his minor league success into a full-time job in the major leagues. His most productive MLB season was 1973, with Minnesota, when he posted career-high numbers in homers, runs batted in , and games played, as a replacement for injured Harmon Killebrew.
Lis also played in Nippon Professional Baseball, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, in 1978. He finished his baseball career with the Triple-A Champion, Evansville Triplets, in the season.
Following his playing career, Lis coached youth baseball for over 30 years, including in the Newburgh American Legion from 1984 to 2002. In 2003, he became General Manager of the Evansville Wolfepack 18-year-old travel team. Lis also owned and operated the Joe Lis Baseball School since 1991, and worked at James R. Pyle Insurance Agency since 1989.
Lis died from prostate cancer in Evansville, Indiana, at the age of 64, on October 17, 2010.
